REVISED:Evaluate the presidency of Thomas Jefferson.

The "Revolution of 1800", or "peaceful transiton of power" was an important factor towards U.S. government. In the election of 1800, Democratic-Republicans Thomas Jefferon and Aaron Burr tied. The election then went into the hands of the House of Respresentatives. It was the support from Hamilton that made Jefferson president. The Jeffersonian Movement, embodied in the Democratic Republican party, represented intrests of the common man and farmer, democraticizing the U.S. It also favored limitations on power of the federal government and strict interpretation of the Constitution.The presidency of Thomas Jefferson had just as much of a positive effect on the United States as it did negative with the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, the "undeclared war" between the U.S. and the Barbary pirates, acts passed such as the Nonintercourse Act(1806), Embargo Act(1807), and Nonintercourse Act(1809), to deal with tension between the British and French, and the stronger judical branch of government brought by John Marshall and the Marshall Court.

The Louisiana Purchase (1803)was considered the most notable achievement of Jefferson's first term. French emperor, Napoleon, needed more money to fight Britain. A succesful slave revolt against the French on the Caribbean island of Santo Domingo led Napoleon to believe, if he could not control a small island in the Caribbean, he could not possibly control an enormous area of land west of the Mississippi River. Thus, he decided to sell France's last major territorial posseion in North America. For the Louisiana Territory, the U.S. only paid
$15 million. Therefore, the territory of the United States practically doubled in size. Jefferson organized an expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to find out as much as possible about the newly bought land.

Though Jefferson had done such good by buying the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon, he, along with the rest of the U.S. government, also spent lots of American money. In North Africa, nations known as the Barbary States were seizing international ships and holding thier crews for ransom. Because the U.S. had no navy, its merchants were vulnerable. The U.S. government would pay tribute to protect its ships, but not until the U.S. defeated the Barbary pirates, did the U.S. cease paying the Barbary States.

Tensions between Britain and France worsened. The tension between the great powers interrupted American trading. From 1805 to 1810, Britain, France, and the United States, went back and forth vigorously. It became a battle of acts and decrees, intended to damper each other's success in trading. Jefferson’s nation held its own against Britain and France. Jefferson faired well with the foreign affairs between Britain and France, but mistakes and inadequacies became more apparent with acts such as the Nonintercourse Act(1806), that was inteded to halt importation of many British commodities but had little effect. Also, the Embargo Act(1807) which prohibithed all foreign trade, hurt the U.S. more than it helped. It had a devastating effect on New England economy and caused many New Englanders to give support to Charles Pickney, the Federalist canidate in the 1808 election. And then a regain of inteligence with the Nonintercourse Act(1809), allowing trade to be opened with all nations but Britain and France, unless either of the two nations repealed its trade restrictions against American shipping.

John Marshall, who was, ironically enough, a Federalist became Supreme Court Justice in 1801 after John Jay resigned, due to inactivity. The Marshall Court became strongly identified with vested rights in contract clauses, expanding the Court's jurisdiction, judicial nationalism over state's rights, blocking state regulations that limited property rights, and freeing American commerce from restraints placed on it by the states. Two of the most important cases of the Marshall Court would be Marbury v. Madison(1803) establishing the concept of judicial review, which is the implied power of the constitutionality of state and federal legislation. And McCulloch v. Maryland(1819) with the Court ruling that the government possesed the implied power to create a national bank; that the bank could not be taxed by a state because this would give the "power to destroy" to the bank; and that federal law is absolute over state law.

In conclusion, the presidency of Thomas Jefferson was a positive and negative battle within itself. Jefferson dealt with foreign challenges to sovereignty of the United States. Yet, the nation was steadily developing with the Louisiana purchase, and an enforcment of national pride with reaction towards the tensions of Britian and France. Also, we can not exclude the importance of John Marshall and the growth of the Marshall Court. So overall, the presidency of Thomas Jefferson had just as much of a positive effect on the United States as it did negative with the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, the "undeclared war" between the U.S. and the Barbary pirates,acts passed such as the Nonintercourse Act(1806), Embargo Act(1807), and Nonintercourse Act(1809), to deal with tension between the British and French, and the stronger judical branch of government brought by John Marshall and the Marshall Court.